7 Helpful Hints for Selling Your Home in the Winter
December 10th, 2008 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, Home Selling, McLean Dirt, Reston Dirt
Being a seller this time of the year is a lot different. It’s DARK early, it’s 
COLD, it’s SNOWY or ICY, it’s DREARY… c’mon, who would choose this time of year to sell? Well, let’s see if we can accomplish a few things – 1) Let’s create a welcoming environment to get your house sold and 2) Let’s see about turning negatives into positives.
So here we go
WINTER HOME SELLING TIP #1
Keep the heat on. If you have zoned heating, or usually keep a part of your home closed off to save on heating bills, I would strongly urge you to re-consider. You don’t want a buyer to be hurried off before they’re done looking because of the chill in your home. Also, if you usually keep a part closed off, or the vents closed, don’t do that now! You don’t want a prospective buyer to think there’s a problem with your heating system. No amount of savings is worth missing your buyer.
WINTER HOME SELLING TIP #2
Keep your outdoor spaces free of snow and ice. Look at the photo below (provided by google images)
![Snowhome2[1]](http://thearlingtondirt.com/files/2008/12/snowhome21-small1.jpg)
As an agent, when I approach this home to show it to my buyers, I CAN’T EVEN GET UP THE FRONT WALK!!! c’mon – make it easy to show, make it SAFE for you and any liability you may face from someone slipping on your front walk or your deck… Keep your shovel and some Ice Melt handy and clear off those outdoor spaces…
WINTER HOME SELLING TIP #3
Turn your lights on. Now I know this isn’t always practical when you leave your home in the morning to know if someone will be showing it or not; but come up with a basic set of lights that will welcome any prospective buyer and help them find their way through your warm and well-lit home. The more the better.
WINTER HOME SELLING TIP #4
Keep rugs by the doors for your lookers to wipe their feet. You may have a sign by the front door to please remove their shoes – but what if they want to walk out on the deck, or in the backyard, or around the house. To protect your floors/carpets AND as a courtesy, pick up a few inexpensive rugs at Target and make it EASY for that buyer to look around!
WINTER HOME SELLING TIP #5
Think about warm holiday/winter scents: gingerbread, pine, mulled cider spices, etc… Perhaps you could use a small bowl of potpourri or a small scented candle to introduce these scents. Don’t overwhelm someone, but they can add to the ambiance you’ve already created with the lights and warmth.
WINTER HOME SELLING TIP #6
If you know you’ll be having a showing at a specific time (perhaps it’s noon and you know someone will be coming by at 2pm) consider leaving on a gas fireplace – you know, one of the sealed ones. If it’s safe and for a short period, you can really add to the setting you’re creating. I would NOT recommend leaving a wood burning fire going or an un-sealed gas log situation.
WINTER HOME SELLING TIP #7
Don’t neglect the outside – there are plenty of plants that thrive throughout the winter – there are some beautiful winter cabbages and such that you can plant to keep your outside looking fresh and seasonal as much as your inside. Talk to your local nursery if you are having trouble coming up with ideas.
The most important thing to remember is that if there are buyers out there in the cold, wet, dark, dreary conditions – the likelihood is that they NEED to buy something. Make every showing count and you will be glad you did!
If you want to talk about listing your home for sale, don’t automatically put it off until spring. Call today to chat about it and we can figure it out together.
Happy Wednesday!
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! And remember, spring is RIGHT around the corner!
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[...] article called 7 Helpful Hints for Selling Your Home in the Winter offers some timely hints for overcoming some of the negatives that may be associated with buying in [...]
[...] article called 7 Helpful Hints for Selling Your Home in the Winter offers some timely hints for overcoming some of the negatives that may be associated with buying in [...]